Ace Combat 6 - Angels of Peace
by DemonLordGalm
Summary: The year is 2015, four years after the events of the Circum-Pacific War. Our perspective now switches to the naive and rookie pilot "Talisman", a member of the Republic of Emmeria Air Force. His life is good, until all of it comes crashing down with the outbreak of war...and the revealing of a dark, deep past. What is this "Project ACES"? CHAPTER 2 UPLOADED. Rated M. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

A/N Welcome back to Ace Combat! This takes place in AC6 Fires of Liberation if you hadn't noticed. Khehe, like my little prologue at the end of AC5 - Retribution of a Demon? We'll get to that soon enough. This is going to have a little darker sense to it because I'm adding something that will connected ACZ, AC5, and AC6 all together. I hinted that in the prologue at the end of my last story. Let's see what happens, shall we?

Prologue

_Fall from Grace_

Every now and then, I'd tell my daughter the story of the night some years ago. A night when the sky was radiant with shooting stars. That night, your father and I made countless wishes together. An asteroid called Ulysses came into Earth's orbit and disintegrated into millions of pieces which poured down onto the land below.

As we watched the shooting stars that night, fragments from the asteroid rained down on our eastern neighbor, Estovakia, damaging a great deal of their infrastructure and devastating their economy. Soon after, the news reported that their nation had fallen into a civil war...One that would last for years. Eventually, the internal strife was brought to an end when "The Generals" came into power.

In the midst of hardship, the citizens of Estovakia were convinced that the only way they could recover as a nation was to rely on a military government led by these "Generals". They began to spread nationalism through their country, telling them the only way to return to peace and prosperity was to give their trust to them, and them alone.  
The resulting war from the thought of we as a nation, Emmeria, being the cause of the Estovakian Civil War, was not a war of borders, or religion, or hate.

It was a war of blame.

A war of blame where its instigator will go above and beyond just to achieve his mad lust for power over others.

It was a war of blame.

**ACE COMBAT 6 - ANGELS AND DEMONS**

- Gracemeria Air Force Base -

- August 15, 2015 1459 hrs -

"Hey Talisman! Throw it here!"

"Nah, here!"

The fighter pilot named Talisman, a man with light brown hair and a slight aftershave, was playing a game of football with some of the other pilots, Daniel "Windhover" Pollini, the leader of the R.E. 8th Air Division, 15th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Windhover", his wingmen Saker and the only girl in his squadron, Lanner, Freddie "Avalanche" Durand, his wingmen Blizzard and Serac, along with other pilots stationed at the base.

Talisman closed one eye and fired the football with his right hand, the spiraling leather ball flying over top of the pilots and landing right into the arms of Windhover, who laughed as he ran untouched and scored a touchdown, half of the pilots groaning while Talisman and the others cheered.

"Game point! We win again, suckers!" said Windhover as he spiked the ball, Talisman giving him a high-five along with Avalanche and Serac.

"Drinks are on me tonight!" announced Talisman, his team cheering before they ran off to get to one of the jeeps that would take them to the capital of the Republic of Emmeria, Gracemeria.

"Shotgun!" yelled Windhover when Talisman leaped into the driver's seat, Avalanche and Serac taking the back two seats before they drove off away from the base and to the city.

When they made it to their favorite bar, they were greeted by the people inside with warm hearts, the barmen giving them beers on the house.

"Anyone hear anything from the border?" asked Serac, Windhover shaking his head before drinking some of his beer.

"I heard that more and more Stovie fighters have been seeing flying close to the border, especially these two fighters that seem a bit off. One of them has a black body with blue markings on it while the other appears to be one of those Raptor look-alikes with a single black wingtip. Those two are being seen every day." said Avalanche, Talisman grinning while he took a sip of his beer.

"Those Stovies are getting more paranoid every day. Their economy is in shambles so I wouldn't blame them, though, I highly doubt they would think we would attack them, and I'm sure as hell know Nordennavic up north wouldn't want to attack either. Those frozen bastards are always neutral." said Windhover, Talisman nodding in agreement before speaking.

"I say its nothing. They're just patrolling their borders like any other right-minded country, especially after that whole genocide fiasco over Oured. I can't believe that those "A World With no Boundaries" people would even try to do something like that. You guys here about that?"

"Yeah. Osea's President gave a speech about the records of that war a couple months ago. What I couldn't beleive is that a mercenary ace pilot that fought during the Belkan War, I think he was called "Demon Lord" was Mobius 1 over on Usea _and_ the leader of the Sand Island Squadron that became the Razgriz!"

"Yeah, that was amazing! Guy must be pretty good. Bet I could beat him though." said Windhover, receiving laughs and punches in the arm from Talisman and the other two pilots.

"You really think you could beat the guy that destroyed a chemical laser tower, a giant flying carrier _twice_, a giant missile complex and stop a V2 launch, destroy the Megalith and the Stonehenge Railgun System, destroy a satellite that had a laser on it, shoot down another satellite loaded with a V2, shoot down around fourteen ace squadrons and stop the world from ending? You must be smoking something!" said Talisman before he enjoyed himself with Windhover and the other pilots, shooting the shit and having a good time while high up above, two planes were silently flying over Gracemeria, completely undetected.

"Our sortie is almost complete. AWACS, are you getting all the info?"

"Information is flowing smoothly back to me, five more minutes until the mission ends."

"Roger, AWACS." replied the second pilot from one of Estovakia's own PAK-FAs, having been able to make some as well during the civil war by the Eastern Faction, the left wing tip painted solid black, an air force roundel with a single triangle occupied by a black diamond, a red triangle and a white triangle painted on it.

They flew back over the entire city without being spotted by Emmeria's radar or their air patrols, gathering the necessary recon data they needed before they left the airspace, returning back to Estovakia but not landing at St. Petersburg AFB, but on one of Estovakia's more…_mobile_ bases.

In a few days, Emmeria was about to get the shock of it's life.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N Let the Anean Continental War begin! Leave a fav. and review and I'll be back with the next chapter soon! Sentences with apostrophes at the beginning and end is narration.

Chapter 1 - Invasion of Gracemeria

_Through the Heart of a Nation_

- Gracemeria, Capital of the Republic of Emmeria -

- 48'18'30"N 95'53'43"E -

- August 30, 2015 1149 hrs -

A woman with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail sat reading a small book at a lawn table, the cover of the tree above her shading her from the sun above Gracemeria. A soft and pleasant song was playing on the radio sitting beside her on the table was the only sound present beside the sound of birds chirping and the wind rustling the tree leaves.

From the front door of her yellow house, Melissa Herman's daughter, Matilda, ran out of the house with her backpack, a little spring in her step.

"Here we go!" said Matilda while Melissa set down her book and got up from her chair, grabbing a blue polka dotted lunch box and handing it to Matilda.

"Got everything?" she asked, Matilda nodding vigorously.

"Yeah, I'm okay." replied Matilda before the school bus drove up and the driver honked its horn, peering out from the open doors to see the two of them.

"Here honey. An offering for the King." said Melissa as she gave her daughter a silver dobica (Dollar, since the currency of Emmeria is the Robica) and placed it into her hand, Matilda pocketing it and nodding again.

"See you later Mom!" she said before waved and ran over to the bus, taking one step into the bus before she turned back when Melissa spoke to her.

"Listen to your teacher, okay? And give the King my best."

"Dance with an angel, Mom." said Matilda before she went up into the bus to take her seat, the doors closing with a hiss while Melissa smiled at her farewell.

The bus drove away and Melissa listened to the song again on the radio while she looked up at the shining sun.

'That's her way of saying "goodbye". My husband is an Air Force pilot, and refers to fighter planes as "angels". When he'd go on a mission that kept him away from home, I'd tell him in frustration to go dance with his angels. Matilda grew up hearing this, and now she uses it all the time.'

Melissa looked out from their house over the city from the hill their house and neighborhood sat upon and saw the King's Bridge stretching out over the bay of the city, connecting the "old" Gracemeria to the "new" Gracemeria.

'There's a nice view of the King's Bridge from our house. That iron giant is the pride of Gracemeria, our capital city. In the old quarter of the city beyond the bridge, you can make out an ancient castle, which is even more famous than the bridge. My daughter Matilda is going there on a field trip today.'

'In the throne room rests the "Golden King". He's been smiling for a good six hundred years now. The king was a gentle person who was a bit on the small side, but he crafted a giant suit of armor that convinced his enemies to surrender without a single fight. Afterwards, they found such warmth in his smile that they bowed down to him in humility. Anyway, that's how the story goes. His smiling face still touches the hearts of our people. The very face my daughter and the others got on a bus to see this morning.'

The radio broadcaster's voice entered the airwaves after "A Brand New Day" had finished playing.

The song on the radio seems to be a perfect match for the sunny weather.

Suddenly the roar of jet engines was heard and she snapped her head up to the sky, catching two SU-27 Flankers fly over her house, and to her horror, launch two missiles at the King's Bridge, striking its side and making a massive explosion engulf that section of the bridge.

The cables snapped and the bridge split into two halves that sent a multitude of cars and trucks plunging into the water below.

Melissa felt her entire body go numb and her heart rate speed up as more fighters started to enter the air above the city, sending a cascade of missiles down into the city below. The castle disappeared behind a pillar of fire and smoke, the shock-waves of the explosions making her flinch.

What is happening?

- Gracemeria Air Force Base -

- January 1, 2010 1149 hrs -

"Attention all pilots! Our capital city Gracemeria is under attack by unknown aircraft! Damage from the attacks is widespread throughout the city. All planes, scramble and intercept all threats immediately!"

The entire base was in chaos, news of the attack on Gracemeria spread like wildfire among the ranks, the tarmac crowded with planes waiting to take off and ground crews scurrying around to prepare them. Talisman rolled out onto the runway flanked by two F-16C Fighting Falcons, his hands shaking in shock and anger at the sudden surprise attack.

"They took out King's Bridge!"

"Who's attacking?"

"What the hell is going on?!"

"_Dammit…!_" cursed Talisman in his thoughts before he powered up the thrusters of his favorite plane, the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-16Cs doing the same.

All of them wanted to get in the air ASAP and rush to their capital city to defend it from whoever's attacking.

"Garuda 1, you are cleared for takeoff." reported the control tower, the afterburners starting to appear before he blasted down the runway with his two escorts, Talisman raising the stick back to lift the fighter's nose up from the ground to take off.

"Garuda 1, runway takeoff complete. Good luck."

"Roger Control Tower, whoever they are, they're gonna pay for attacking our city like this." growled Talisman.

"Cerberus Team runway clearance granted. Takeoff when ready."

"All aircraft under airborne command's jurisdiction following takeoff, this is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."

"Let's go Talisman." said Windhover as he joined him with his squadron of F-16C Fighting Falcons.

"Roger Windhover. Avalanche, get on my six."

"Roger Talisman." replied the pilot as his flight of three F/A-18F Super Hornets got behind them while the rest of their fighters formed up around them in their respective squadrons.

"Airborne Warning and Control System Ghost Eye to all scrambling defensive craft. The situation has not yet been ascertained. We must implement an emergency reformation. Follow your individual instructions." chimed in their AWACS from up above when they saw the city in sight.

"Garuda 1, you do not have a wingman." noticed Ghost Eye, Talisman smirking a little. "Let's see...Shamrock. Shamrock, are you alone too?"

A lone Falcon flew up from behind the formation and responded with a yes.

"Very well. As of now you're Garuda 2."

"Okay." said Shamrock, his real name being Marcus Lampert, as he flew up to get on Talisman's left wing.

"So I'm Garuda 2. Garuda 1, I've got your back."

"The name's Talisman, and I guess it's time I try this wingman out. Always flown lone wolf for a while now." said Talisman when they reached Gracemeria, the pilots shaken by the multiple smoke columns rising from the city.

"No time for introductions now, though. Go ahead and I'll follow your lead. Never was good with directions anyhow." said Marcus, receiving a chuckle from Talisman before Ghost Eye spoke up again.

"Garuda Team, you are authorized to engage any hostile aircraft above Gracemeria. Engage."

"Roger AWACS. Let's go wingman, I mean Shamrock. Sorry." said Talisman with a grin before he banked left and spun downwards, Marcus staying right behind them as the Emmerian forces flew down to defend their city.

"May the Golden King smile upon us." said Marcus before they dove into the heat of battle.

Instantly Talisman began to ascertain the situation, seeing some allied naval ships in the bay firing up at the enemy forces above along with the positions of enemy air pockets around the city. After locking in the information, he pursued after a two man flight of SU-27s.

"Reinforcements. Stay alert." cautioned one of the enemy pilots before Talisman got his first two kills in the form of the Flankers he had shot down.

"Ghost Eye to Garuda 1, Talisman, and Garuda 2, Shamrock. We are currently in a state of emergency. Our nation is under attack by unknown forces. Do whatever you can to fend off the invasion." said Ghost Eye when Talisman sent Marcus off to engage other unknown forces while he locked onto three fighters with XMAAs and fired them, taking them all down with one swoop.

"Roger, AWACS." replied Talisman

"Fox 2!" said Avalanche before he brought down two enemy fighters over on the other side of the city.

"This is Windhover. The enemy is expanding its field of attack. Stay alert."

"Roger Windhover. Increasing combat range." said Marcus when a fleet of B-52 Stratofortresses appeared on radar heading towards the city.

"Bombers approaching the city, take them out!" said Ghost Eye, Talisman turning quickly around and spotting the five bombers, gunning the engines to chase after them,

"I'm on your six Talisman." said Windhover, the two pilots engaging the bombers from behind and shooting them all down before they could inflict further damage to the city.

"We interrupt this program for an emergency news report. Gracemeria is currently under attack by unidentified aircraft. The damage apparently extends throughout the entire capital."

"Please be safe…" said Marcus quietly, Talisman catching this and raising his eyebrow before he returned his focus to the battle.

He locked onto two fighters and shot them down before Ghost Eye spoke with surprising news.

"We've got an ID on the invaders. We're engaged with the Estovakian Military."

"The Estovakians?!" said Windhover.

"Looks like they finally snapped." said Avalanche as he avoided some missiles from a Stovie SU-27.

"Well, it was their mistake. Come on, let's wrap this masquerade up!" said Talisman when airborne tanks started to drop into the city from all four corners, the transport planes that had carried them making a hasty exit.

"Transport planes dropping airborne tanks into the city. Windhover, your squadron's close enough to intercept them in the western sector."

"Roger Ghost Eye." replied Windhover as his squadron left the air battle to attack the tanks.

"Shoot down any enemy planes that pass over us!" shouted one of the captains of the *Ticonderoga class cruiser in the bay, its escorts, four *Cassard class frigates, lighting the sky ablaze with anti-aircraft gunfire.

Windhover downed a transport plane, a C-17 Globemaster, before it could drop any airborne tanks from its cargo hold, his wingmen sweeping the tanks on the ground out of the fight with LAGMs.

"The Estovakian threat level is down. We should be able to take them now." reported Ghost Eye after Marcus shot down three Estovakian SU-27s.

"Looks like the Stovies are runnin' out of steam. Had enough boys?" taunted Avalanche before a second wave of fighters and transports carrying airborne tanks approached the city., the defending Emmerian forces rallying behind Talisman and Marcus.

They attacked the Estovakian forces fearsomely, Talisman really putting on a show by getting kills here and there, Marcus right behind him by skillfully avoiding the attacks sent at him and using his Fighting Falcon to the full extent of its combat capabilities.

They were actually repelling the attack.

"Enemy tanks on the ground have reached us. Prepare to engage." said a soldier from a tank battalion down below.

"Bring it on guys! I can take on everything you throw at me!" laughed Talisman while two Stovie Terminators chased him down, for the tables to turn against them when he flipped over top of them and fired two missiles into their backsides, reducing them to flaming wreckage.

"An intense ground war is taking place in the east district. We strongly urge all citizens of Gracemeria to stay indoors at this time."

"Grabda Tank Company, advance. Keep those airborne tanks from moving in."

Emmeria's Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank were ripping apart Estovakia's airborne modified T-80U Main Battle Tanks on the ground, clearing the streets of the metal threats and making sure no citizens were harmed.

"The Estovakian threat level is even lower. Drive them out of Emmeria!" ordered Ghost Eye enthusiastically as their forces gained the upperhand and started to encircle the enemy forces and push them out of the city.

That's when they played their trump card.

- Fuscum Sea, fifteen miles out from Gracemeria -

"Launch. Launch."

Ten fighters flew out from the mouth of a giant flying carrier, eight of them black and red SU-33 Flanker-Ds, one in a plain PAK-FA with a black left wing, and the last in an unknown fighter painted black and blue.

"This is AWACS Eagle Eye to Strigon. Advance to Gracemeria. The Aigaion will cover your approach."

"Roger AWACS." replied the lead pilot of the ten man flight.

"Aigaion to Strigon Team. We are prepared to launch."

"Strigon Leader to Aigaion. We will commence mission operations once your delivery is complete." said Strigon Leader as they flew close to the water, water stirring up behind them from their engines jet stream.

"Attention all aircraft. We are ready for NImbus launch." announced the captain of the Aigaion when multiple large triangle shaped silos on top of the behemoth started to open up, revealing five missiles stored within each.

"Begin the countdown. Booster ignition complete. Launch in 5...4...3...2...1...Fire!"

Seven missiles fired out from the giant, lancing through the air towards their target, Gracemeria, but more specifically...the Emmerian forces above it.

When they zoomed over the Estovakian ten man fighter squadron, the leader spoke again.

"Engage the enemy at will following the Nimbus impact. Finish them off."

- Gracemeria -

Talisman had just shot down the last enemy fighter before the sky lit up with multiple explosions peppering the area, wiping out more than half of their force in the blink of an eye.

"What the...missiles?!"

"Multiple cruise missiles just detonated in mid-air! Half our planes have been wiped off the radar!" said Avalanche in a panicked voice.

"What the hell was that? Where are they coming from?" asked Marcus as he joined up with Talisman, who was just as dumbfounded.

"Second wave of enemy missiles incoming. Those are no ordinary missiles…" warned Ghost Eye before Windhover started to fly in erratic patterns, his wingmen following behind.

"Evade like hell if you want to stay alive!" he said before new enemies appeared on radar, approaching fast.

"Dammit…!" What about our city? What about Gracemeria?!" demanded Marcus.

"Warning! Additional enemy planes have been spotted on radar. You don't wanna know how many." said Ghost Eye, Talisman turning to see ten enemy fighters roaring in from the direction of the Fuscum Sea.

"This is Strigon 12. Target acquired." spoke one of the enemy pilots, Talisman paling at the squadron callsign.

"Enemy AWACS detected on radar. Activating Electronic Counter Measures." spoke the enemy AWACS before Talisman cursed as his radar went blank, the same going for the Emmerian forces, even Ghost Eye's radar was left fuzzy.

"ECCM, restore communication link! ECCM! Dammit, whatever ECM the enemy has has knocked out our radar and left us completely blind!"

"What?! What kind of tech do they have?"

"Alpha flight, secure air superiority. Beta flight, eliminate all naval vessels currently in the bay. Theta flight, you know what to do." spoke the enemy AWACS, Talisman growling as the ten man squadron split apart into two four man flights and one with two fighters that stood out from the rest in choice of aircraft...and skills.

"Calling all Strigon planes. Gracemeria will be ours for the taking." spoke Strigon Leader before the two forces clashed once again, Talisman barely avoiding getting shot down by one of the Strigon fighters.

"_Damn...these guys are good…_" he thought before the allied squadron behind them were instantly wiped out by the unknown squadron.

"Everybody, engage any target within your field of vision. Our radar's shit so we can't use it, and Ghost Eye, give me info on that squadron."

"Roger, I'll have it to you in a second." replied Ghost Eye when the unknown fighter spoke for the first time, his cold and harsh voice chilling the Emmerians to the bone.

"These fighters can barely put up a fight. It's pitiful."

"Don't be too hard on them, this will be over soon enough." spoke his wingman, Talisman immediately recognizing it as a Yuke accent.

"_Is that a Yuke fighter? What's a Yuke doing fighting for the Stovies?_"

"I've got the data on those unknown fighters...oh shit!"

"What is it Ghost Eye? Talk to me!" asked Marcus as he avoided gunfire from a Strigon fighter.

"Their AWACS cut off my data link, I can't pull up any info on them. Dammit…!" cursed Ghost Eye, Talisman annoyed at their odds quickly turning to the Stovie's favor.

"Lieutenant Colonel, you were right to add them to our squadron. They get the job done." said a Strigon pilot after sinking one of the Emmerian frigates, the rest of his team eliminating the rest of the fleet before they joined the aerial fight.

"Indeed. They are viable combat assets."

"Nimbus missile impact, now!" said the enemy AWACS before more explosions cluttered the skies, killing off even more of the defending Emmerian forces, leaving only Windhover's squadron, Avalanche's squadron, Marcus and Talisman left.

"Which direction are the missiles coming from? Right or left?"

"I don't know!" shouted Talisman, now fighting to save his life from the overwhelming storm of missiles being fired at them from every direction possible.

"This is Ghost Eye to all planes. Air Defence Command has ordered an evacuation."

"What?!"

"You've been ordered to give up Gracemeria."

"Are you out of your mind? We can't comply with that order!" said Windhover in defiance, Ghost Eye unfazed by this.

"We are militarily at a disadvantage. Comply with the order and head west."

"This is Avalanche. We're not going anywhere." said Avalanche stubbornly, making Ghost Eye sigh in annoyance.

"Listen! It's only temporary. The plan is to withdraw, meet up with all remaining forces from each area, then regroup for a counter-attack. We can't afford to lose you. Follow the order."

The Emmerian forces were silent for a few seconds, conflicted as to what to do, either fight and die in a losing battle, or retreat to fight another day.

Marcus made his decision and broke away from the fight.

"This is Garuda 2 to Garuda 1. We really should get out of here." he said, Talisman cursing at how right he was.

"Dammit...all forces, head west and abandon Gracemeria."

"But this is our city! We're just gonna leave it to the Stovies?!" growled Windhover when Talisman joined Marcus in the retreat.

"I hate it too, but this is the only thing we can do! I want to live to fight another day and get back at them, not die in a foolish fight that we've already lost!" remarked Talisman, his words stinging Windhover and Avalanche but, he was right.

"Damn…" said Avalanche before he and his squadron reluctantly left the airspace with Talisman and Marcus while Windhover growled and fired one last missile at a Strigon plane before retreating with his squadron.

"Ngh…"

"Lieutenant Colonel Voychek, you've been hit. Are you alright?" asked the unknown pilot for the first time, Strigon Leader's fighter trailing smoke while it descended towards the fallen city below.

"I'm fine. I'm going to take my fighter down outside the city." he replied with a grunt.

"Voychek, who will lead the squadron?" asked one of the Strigon pilots.

"We will decide that later. Mission accomplished. Gracemeria is ours." said their AWACS when they reformed into their combined squadron, without Voychek, and flew back over the city before returning to the Aigaion while Voychek made his landing on the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile Talisman and their remaining forces had escaped the airspace, Marcus looking over his shoulder at Gracemeria and feel an unbearable guilt wash over him.

"I promise we'll be back for you...Just a little longer, I promise."

"Garuda, you've exited the combat airspace. Go to the rendezvous point." said Ghost Eye when they left the city behind, much to their displeasure.

- Our military has escaped destruction because of your valiant efforts on the battlefield. But our capital, Gracemeria, has been temporarily occupied by Estovakian forces, and our central government has been usurped by them as well. The nation of Estovakia had declared war with our country as it simultaneously launched a surprise attack on Gracemeria. In response, the Republic of Emmeria's political council unanimously adopted a resolution of open war against the Federal republic of Estovakia. Our forces remaining on the Emmerian mainland are still fighting in desperation to protect our country. Once our intelligence has been sorted and confirmed, the Republic of Emmeria's armed forces must immediately regroup and counter attack against the Federal Republic of Estovakia.

- Herman Residence -

'Fire an smoke rose from the city before me. The King's bridge...is gone.'

She felt her legs give out underneath her, an unbearable sadness overtaking her entire being as she watched her beloved city, Gracemeria, fall into ruin at the hands of whoever was attacking.

"No…" she said in almost a whisper as she collapsed to her knees, tears starting to form in her eyes as the sadness gripped her heart and squeezed it to the point of it breaking.

"Matilda!" she screamed out in agony as the tears started to roll down her cheeks, unable to control herself as her limbs started to shake and shudder violently, the shock starting to get to her.

'I vaguely hear a scream of terror that sounds much like my own.'

'I feel as though the Golden King's gentle smile is moving...moving farther away from me.'


	3. Chapter 2

A/N Damn what a way to kick off a story. Bet you guys who read the prequel to this, Retribution of a Demon, already know who those "unknown fighters" and AWACS Eagle Eye are hm? Don't worry, I have a place for them in the story. Just wait it out. Leave a fav and review

Chapter 2 - Vitoze Aerial Defense

_On the Brink_

'I walk on. I'm unable to think. All I can do is follow the others, down this lonely, barren road. Ever since we came to the twisted remains of my daughter's school bus, my soul has left me.'

'I am empty.'

She looked up from the road and saw an Emmerian tank commander, standing on top of his Challenger II Main Battle Tank, directing the mass of refugees from Gracemeria towards a bridge, his voice echoing out from a megaphone.

"Move! Move! Let's pick up the pace people! There's a train still runnin' on the other side of the river! She goes all the way out to the edge of the border!" announced the tank commander, a smoke column rising from something behind the parked tank.

"We've gotta blast this bridge before the enemy gets a hold of it! So move it or lose it, people!"

As Melissa walked slowly past the tank, her rolling travel suitcase she had packed with the few possessions she couldn't leave in Gracemeria trailing behind, she looked over at what was generating some smoke...and stopped dead in her tracks.

It was a fighter jet.

On what was left of its nose...was her name, painted in yellow.

'What a cruel twist of fate for me to see this.'

She fell to her knees and the same sadness from before overwhelmed her once again, her heart ripped to shreds once again at the sight of the wrecked fighter jet and her name painted on its fragile frame.

'My pilot husband, who had left for work that day with the same loving look on his face as always...He had painted my name on his angel. He was never going to see the stars again.'

A man stopped by her and saw the expression of grief and sorrow on her face and quickly understood what was happening. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him, the man telling her it will be alright and that she needs to keep moving without words.

He showed it in his eyes. He had felt the same sadness as well, and he knew what she was going through.

She nodded and stood up to continue her march down the road towards the bridge with the mindless flow of people.

'I go into the crowd on the train, and endure two weeks of pure hell, before finally ending up at a refugee camp at the border. I don't know any of the names on the list. My compatriots, who have now become refugees, gather around a single radio to listen to the broadcast. Even though the station is broadcasting out of Gracemeria, occupying forces have taken complete control of the airwaves. The enemy must have completely overtaken our capital.'

"...And although newer parts of the city have suffered considerable damage, the castle and a significant section of the old quarter have escaped relatively unscathed…" announced an Estovakian broadcaster, multiple sighs of relief coming from the refugees standing around the radio.

'However, the announcer went on to say that our castle was robbed of countless antiquities, that were once elaborately displayed in our castle. Stripped bare.'

"As the Estovakian military, it is our sworn duty to govern this crumbling nation, and get it back on its feet, starting right here in Gracemeria. I've found a group of school children in front of the Central Station here, where the area has been literally reduced to a slum." reported the broadcaster before the sound a mike shuffling echoed through the radio, the man's voice returning.

"Step on up here little girl. What do you have to say about all this?"

"Go dance with the angels, mister!" said a young girl's voice before the sound of a foot hitting bone was heard, followed by a grunt from the broadcaster.

From those few words, Melissa's eyes began to light up and hope started to wash through her veins like cleansing water, purifying her of the depression and sorrow burrowed deep within her heart.

'My ears were not deceiving me. That voice belonged to my daughter, Matilda. She was alive!'

- Gracemeria Grand Central Station -

- November 22, 2015 1050 hrs -

A dart train pulled into the once bustling Grand Central Station of Gracemeria, with only a few armed Estovakian soldiers patrolling the walkways, and came to a complete stop. The trains only passenger placed a walking stick and his right leg onto the platform beside the train, bringing out his other leg and his trolley bag filled with luggage, and a steel briefcase out beside him.

He was in a Estovakian military uniform, a Lieutenant Colonel's insignia on his shoulders, along with his wings and the squadron patch of Strigon squadron pinned onto the front of his uniform.

'I am Lieutenant Colonel Voychek of the Estovakian Air Force. I arrived on a train to Gracemeria after being sent home to my country after my crash. To my detriment, I sustained a leg injury in that crash, relegating me to ground duty.'

Voychek glanced around and began to walk down the platform, his foot falls syncing with each tap the end of his cane hit the concrete, while the smooth sound of the wheels rolling across it from his luggage bag droning on behind him. He stopped his walk to look through a massive hole in the ceiling of the station, just barely being able to see the top corner of a building, the Estovakian flag waving softly in the wind from the building's windows.

'I am now working as an intelligence officer for the Air Force. The ceiling has collapsed in the Central Station. From there...the city appears resigned to its fate beneath the Estovakian flag. What a pitiful sight. But at least there are no craters to mar the land. They are lucky in that sense.'

He continued his walk to the end of his platform, nodding at a soldier guarding the station's exit before he walked out into the city outside. No longer was it filled with the joyous citizens it once cherished. Now it contained only sorrow and bleak men and women, walking aimlessly around the streets of the morbid and scarred city.

He strolled up to a table and chair next to a small diner and parked his luggage, setting the metal briefcase handcuffed to his wrist on the table, leaned his cane up against the luggage bag and then took a seat himself, wincing a bit at the aching feeling in his leg.

As he sat and looked up at the sky, his former home, a small form snuck up from behind him, breathing hard, and grabbed the luggage bag, pulling slowly away before he snatched it up, the sound of his cane hitting the ground alerting Voychek to the thief, his head turning to see a young boy hoist his bag over his shoulder and sprint away, saying "Go dance with the angels!"

An Estovakian soldier had seen him and started to chase after him while blowing a whistle, Voychek sighing as he picked up his cane and leaned it up against the table so it was close at hand.

"_There goes my spare clothing…_" he thought before another boy tried to yank the briefcase away from him, but Voychek grabbed its handle and pulled much harder than the small boy, making him fall on his rear end while Voychek scowled at him.

The boy ran away while Voychek placed the briefcase on the table again and sighed as he watched the young boy flee, shaking his head slowly to the left and right.

"_They will not be so lucky with these documents._"

'What a miserable city this must be with their children in such a state.'

- The Castle -

- 1051 hrs -

The echo of each cane strike on the polished marble floor of the castle's throne room bounced off the walls and back to Voychek's ears as he observed the barren room. Even the Golden King, its prized possession...was gone. Broken glass from the display cases littered the floor and the room held a slight sense of decay within it, the art once inside it having been the life it once held.

'The fine works of art once displayed in this castle were completely gone before the occupation forces arrived. Even the ancient armor of the "Golden King", the collective heart and soul of the city's people, along with the crown, have disappeared. Without a trace.'

He came up to the empty throne that once held its smiling inhabitant and Voychek felt a sense of sadness appear within him, his eyes falling from the throne to the steps before it, spotting multiple coins placed on their surface.

'I must relay this unfortunate information back to "The Generals" in my country. They were quite fond of those antiquities.'

- Campagna Airport, Vitoze, Khesed Island -

- November 24, 2015 0911 hrs -

"A large scale formation of Estovakian bombers is heading towards Vitoze, a city here on the Island of Khesed. The enemy is plotting to storm Campagna Airport, where our military is stationed, to stamp us out and put and end to this thing. Enemy bombers are approaching Vitoze from the north. Our advance team estimates they'll be above the city in about fifteen minutes. Air units are to cooperate with our radar facilities and resume operations. An enemy takeover of Vitoze would mean the ultimate destruction of our country Emmeria, and of our Emmerian people. Intercept them at once!"

Talisman growled as he climbed up into his fighter jet, Marcus climbing up into his Falcon, and they taxied towards the runway of the civilian airport they were forced to use as an airbase.

"Garuda 1, you are cleared for takeoff."

"Of course they would come to wipe us out with bombers. I'm not gonna let that happen though." said Talisman as he flew down the runway, Marcus right behind them as they joined Windhover and Avalanche in the air on their intercept route to the bombers, planning to shoot them down before they got anywhere near the city.

They had to win, the fate of their country depended on it.

- Brilliante Heights, Khesed Island -

- 36'13'27"N 26'30'35"E -

- 0911 hrs -

"Those bombers have passed through the mountains and are still on course for Vitoze." informed Ghost Eye, Talisman narrowing his eyes as he looked for the bombers.

"There here…" said Marcus as they left Campagna Airfield behind, entering the rolling green hills beyond the city of Vitoze.

"Head back to the base if you need supplies."

"Roger AWACS, though I doubt we'll be needing them. We're going to get this thing done." replied Avalanche as they passed over the first line of trees in the forest surrounding the city, multiple enemy radar hits popping up instantly on their radars.

Ghost Eye was quick to relay orders.

"Garuda squadron, an enemy formation of bombers guarded by a couple fighters has entered the airspace. Take them down. Avalanche and Windhover, provide backup to attack supporting fighters."

"Roger." said Windhover as his squadron split off with Avalanche away from Talisman and Marcus to engage the bomber squadron's escort fighters, leaving them to Garuda.

"Let's make this quick Garuda 1. Every second we're away from our capital tears me up inside, thinking its under the control of the Estovakians." said Marcus as he sped forward, Talisman agreeing with him by flying out with him to be the first to shoot down Stovie bombers.

"Escort craft, guard the bombers with your life. This is our only chance to wipe out the Emmerian army once and for all." ordered the lead Estovakian officer from a Beriev A-50 AWACS as the bombers approached Vitoze, Talisman and Marcus barreling towards them with every intention to wipe them all out.

"Fat chance!" said Talisman before he arced upward and flew down onto the first wave of bombers, firing a missile at one and smirking as it shattered on impact, the weak metal frame of the TU-160 breaking in half.

"Shoot down those fighters!" ordered the enemy AWACs, several fighters dispatching to shoot down Garuda.

"I'll handle the bombers, you take on those fighters Talisman." said Marcus as he split off to attack another bomber while Talisman flipped his Strike Eagle around to the approaching fighters to engage them.

"New enemy squadron found on radar, approaching from the water. It's those two unknown fighters from Gracemeria. Exercise caution."

"Bring it on!"

- Anfang, Principality of Belka -

- 034'30'06"N 236'52'24"E -

- Same Time -

Liz leaned back in the chair and sighed deeply with growing sadness as she watched the live news feed of the defense of Vitoze by the outmatched Emmerian forces against the waves of Estovakian fighters, watching the camera man swing his camera towards the sky and got a view of two fighters roaring over the city to attack the Emmerian forces from behind.

She remembered the last phone call she had with him and remembered the regret and grief in his voice, even though he tried to hide it. She knew something had changed inside him ever since he first came back home after the war four years ago. Something had changed in his heart ever since Oured.

Frowning, she made up her mind and switched off the T.V, reaching for the phone and quickly dialing the number in her head. She tapped the floor with her foot as the ringtone buzzed in the phone before the person at the other end picked up the call and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh, what can I do for you?"

"I need to get to Estovakia. Got to set some things straight there." said Liz as she got up from her chair and grabbed her car keys, heading for the front door.

"I see...well, I'll have her ready when you get here."

"Thanks, I'll see you soon." said Liz before she hung up and opened the front door to walk to her car.

It took her three hours to drive from Anfang to Directus, the capital of Ustio, having to pass through the barren wasteland around the border between Belka and the small country. She arrived at the city's air base and waited near one of the hangars for the person she called.

A car drove up and he finally arrived, though it didn't take him long. He has been living in the city since 1995 after all.

"Of course, you live in this city yet I get here before you." said Liz with a smile as she shook the hand of the man, receiving a soft grin.

"Well, had to make sure the wife and kids were squared away. How is he anyway? What adventure is he on now?" asked the man as he put his hands in his pockets and looked around.

"Rainer, you know what my answer will be. He's always been the same." said Liz, the man laughing.

This man was no ordinary person though. His name was Rainer Altman, former Belkan Ace of the 5th Air Division, 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron "Gelb" that flew the skies of the Belkan War and fought with the Demon Lord himself above the very city he resided in.

"Well, now that the formalities are aside, is she in here?" asked Liz with a thumb motioning to the hangar she leaned against.

"Yeah. It's taken a while to rebuild her but I was able to with some help from friends. Without further ado, I give you my Cormorant." said Rainer before he opened the hangar doors and revealed to Liz his SU-37 Terminator, the same plane he flew in the Belkan War, with pre-set rear firing missiles, everything.

"Great job, she looks just like when you flew it all those years ago." congratulated Liz as she patted the nose of the fighter with her hand, Rainer crossing his arms and grinning.

"Though, I would like to get a new paintjob on it. Could we do that?" asked Liz with a glance back at him.

"Sure, no problem." he replied, the two moving to get to work.

"Another wave of enemy bombers is approaching Vitoze. Garuda 1, ESM active."

"Roger AWACS, engaging now." replied Talisman after shooting down an enemy SU-27 Flanker harassing their jamming facilities down below, Avalanche and Marcus downing the rest of attacking enemy fighters.

"Damn, these Emmerians just don't know when to give up." growled one of the Estovakian bomber pilots from the third wave of bombers.

"I know right?"

"Bring in the final wave. We'll wipe em clean off the map." spoke one of the unknown pilots, Talisman growling a little at his voice.

From where he was, all he could see was every allied fighter go to shoot the two pilots down were ruthlessly dealt with very quickly.

"Marcus, with me. We're taking down those two fighters." ordered Talisman, Marcus quick to oblige as he joined up with him on his right wing.

"Roger, Talisman, let's do this. Vitoze depends on us."

"Right." he agreed as they sped after their new prey.

Little did they know their "prey" was already ten steps ahead of them.

"They're approaching from our three o'clock."

"You keep up with the main force and work on eliminating the defending fighters. I'll handle them. Oh...and let them know who they're dealing with to spice things up a bit..." spoke the flight lead darkly while his wingman split off from him, an action that made Marcus and Talisman raise their eyebrows.

"This is Czar to all forces present...make way for the Demon Lord." he spoke, his words igniting a flame of chaos among the Emmerian forces.

"Demon Lord?! Don't tell me he just said Demon Lord!"

"Oh shit! What the fuck are we supposed to do against him?!"

"Marcus, get ready!" said Talisman through gritted teeth as the Demon Lord fell upon them with a barrage of missiles.

"Fox 2, fox 2!" said Marcus as he fired two missiles at the Demon Lord, the ace expertly dodging them and coming back around to pursue them immedietly.

"Dammit, this guy's good!" cursed Talisman as he avoided a volley of gunfire just barely, some of the bullets scraping his left wing.

He spun around to try and score a hit on the Demon lord, but hesitated when he saw nothing but empty sky behind him and Marcus.

"Fox 1."

Marcus three his head upward as the Demon Lord fired a missile right at Talisman's cockpit, but to his amazement, dodged it quickly and performed a half-kulbit to chase after him once again.

"_His maneuvers are flawless...could he be...?_" thought the Demon Lord before he took a glance at his radar and saw that half of the bombers left in the sky were gone, but the Emmerian Forces were along ground fast due to the chaos he ensued with the mentioning of his title.

He veered right to avoid two missiles shot at him by Marcus and spun away, growling a little at the interruption.

"Look, Garuda is holding their own against the Demon Lord! if they can do it, we can too! Let's take out those bombers!" rallied an Emmerian pilot, Windhover and Avalanche right behind him as they turned their chaos into fighting spirit.

"Czar..."

"Yeah, I know. All Estovakian forces, retreat. We'll let Emmeria have their victory for now." said Czar as he left the airspace first, the Demon Lord leaving Talisman and Marcus hanging in his retreat while the remaining Estovakian Forces retreated from Vitoze.

"Yeah, we did it!" cheered Windhover.

"All Estovakian forces have been either shot down or have retreated. The battle is ours! Land at Campagna and prepare for your next sortie!" announced Ghost Eye to the victorious Emmerian forces.

- Our forces have succeeded in defending Vitoze from attacking Estovakian force And the now identified mercenary 66th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Galm". Regard them as high level targets and deal with extreme caution. In this moment of peace, our Chiefs of Staff have quickly drawn up a decisive counterattack. We'll be expecting the best of you.


End file.
